chapter twenty
Alex was never one to willingly run away from her problems. either her siblings or Katherine dragged her away or she faced them head on by herself.
but with the cure for vampirism within her grasp and her enemies in Mystic Falls slowly falling apart, and you can't forget the fact that her brother Kol was dead, Alex decided to follow Katherine on her own accord.
Katherine was glad Alex wanted to stay with her this time. yes, a part of her missed her sister, but a big part of her happiness was pure selfish Katherine Pierce. news of them having the cure will start to spread, and since they killed Jeremy, the Mystic Falls gang will be after them too. the Alex she saw on the island was the version of the heretic Katherine loved the most, and she needed that ruthless version of her sister for her to be able to survive. as always, Katherine only cared about survival.
and so the duo traveled to where Katherine was currently living, the town of Willoughby, Pennsylvania. the Petrova vampire had been living there for a while and was able to compel the townspeople to hide her identity from any outsiders trying to pry into her whereabouts. to her face, they knew her. but if anyone else asked about Katherine, it was like she didn't even exist.
but even with that, Rebekah and no humanity Elena we're still able to track Katherine down. mainly because the two brunettes share the same face. fortunately for Alex, she was still hidden from them, and on top of that she and Elijah made the deal to get Klaus to give Katherine the freedom she desired if Alex could have the cure. although with Katherine trusting Alex so much, she gave her the cure first.
well, Katherine didn't actually give her the cure, she took it from one of Katherine's 'friends' in town and traded it with a fake. because even though Alex wasn't spotted by the others, she was watching their every move. she had her own extra set of eyes and ears. Katherine wasn't the only one who could compel people.
and so as the moon was shining through the sky, Alex stumbled upon the two Salvatore brothers having a chat. there was no denying that Alex wanted the cure, but the other thing she wanted equally as much made her wait to take it.
"-once we give her the cure, i'm getting her out of my life and i'm getting a life of my own," Stefan declared to Damon.
it was obvious they were talking about Elena. she's all they talk about. it's always Elena this and Elena that. not once have they stopped to truly think about Alex since she returned, and that's what hurt her the most.
she wanted to dangle the cure in front of their faces, laugh at how stupid they were to focus on the doppelgängers so much that they forgot about her. she wanted to watch their eyes as they realized that they couldn't give the cure to their precious Elena, and she would be stuck as a vampire forever. she wanted to hear them beg and plead for the cure, that they would do anything to have it.
but she knew what doing that would do. she would lose the Salvatore brothers more than she already has. and she didn't want them to be out of her life. she waited 150 years to come back to them, she couldn't wait a 150 more. having the cure in her grasp now, it proves that this... this is the last chance they have to make peace with her.
because when the time comes, Alex is going to take the cure. and 1,000 years of torment will end soon thereafter.
she wouldn't call it suicide, just giving a helping hand for the inevitable. she knows her fate. the fate destined for her long before she was born. not many people knew about this prophecy, only a select few. but everyone would know soon, which is why she needed the support from everyone she held dear. it's why she confronted the Salvatore brothers, but kept the cure a secret from them.
"well if it isn't the Salvatore brothers. what are a couple of brooding boys like yourselves doing in a town such as this?" Alex smirks, her old english accent suddenly strong. mainly from the fact that she's trying to distract herself from spilling secrets.
as soon as her eyes meet the eldest he flashes in front of her, a bone crushing grip of his fist around her neck.
Alex merely laughs. his strength didn't faze her one bit, "oh, the murder eyes. let me guess, you know?"
Stefan stares confused. firstly from the fact that Alex was here this entire time, and secondly the fact that his brother looks as if he wants to kill her, "what are you talking about?"
"she's the one who killed Jeremy"
it suddenly all clicked together. Alex stealing the tombstone and disappearing completely and how Katherine was able to find Silas and get the cure. Alex was helping her all along and killed Jeremy as revenge for Kol.
"he kills my brother with the white oak stake, I kill him by feeding his blood to Silas. seems like a fair trade to me"
"Elena burned down her family home and turned off her humanity because of you" Damon sneers. the look in his eyes and his tone of voice alone could kill.
"so i've heard... how tragic. if you expect me to feel remorse you're sadly mistaken. that little wench helped in two of my brothers murders, and so did the both of you. I could kill all of you if I wanted to"
"what's stopping you?"
Alex's eyes wandered from Damon to the other brother, "you already know your answer. it's why i'm here right now"
Damn drops his hand from her neck and takes a step back closer to his brother, "unless you can bring Jeremy back from the dead I don't want to hear anything else from you"
with that he turns around and walks away. but Stefan stays. that ache in his chest every time he saw Alex made him stay. he couldn't tell if it was because her coming back has caused the people he cares about so much pain, or because even through that he can't stop loving her.
"spit it out already"
Stefan lifted his eyes back up to hers at the words. she knew him well. she knew that there were many things he wanted to say to her. he took a couple steps forward so that he could be closer to her. it felt awkward to talk from such a distance, and he couldn't help but admit that he wanted to be close enough to touch her.
"you have to choose a side, Alex. with how things are right now, it's either me or your family"
this was going to be the hardest part of her plan. there were two sides of this little war, and somehow she has to fix things before time runs out. the easiest way to do it is to get Stefan on her family's side. Damon and the other will follow him. or, like Stefan mentioned to his brother, he'll move on. start a new life. but sadly nothings ever that easy.
she knows that she played a big role on this war. she tried to trust Stefans friends and ended up getting hurt, and then her anger and hunger for vengeance took over. she helped both sides destroy the other, but it was all for her own gain, she picked the side that would help her best in that moment, and that's what got her in this mess.
"everything I have done for 1,000 years was in the name of always and forever. the fantasy that one day, my family would be whole again. but now your friends have killed two of my brothers, so why can't I have both you and what remains of my family? why do I have to choose when i've lost the most?"
Alex didn't notice she had started crying until Stefan's calloused hand wiped her tears away. it wasn't fair. first Katherine and now Elena separated her lover and her family. every time she tries to find happiness a doppelgänger has to stand in her way. it wasn't fair. but it was her curse. the prophecy continues, making her choose once again.
"I know this is hard, so i'll give you time, and when you make your decision... I'll be waiting to hear your answer" Stefan says, his voice as soft as silk. there was no point in lecturing her like Damon did. Stefan knows she's battling her own war in her mind.
and his intuition was right. the first time she chose a lover, and that ended with her becoming the Dark Ripper. the second time she chose family, and lost Stefan for 150 years. this was the third time. what choice should she make? live her final years with only Stefan at her side, or live them with her last three remaining siblings before she leaves them too? it was a hard choice indeed, and it would be her final one.
after this... it will all be over.
or so she hopes.